Different brands of bisporolol...
Posted , 14 users are following.
I've been taking 1.25mg bisoprolol per day for just over two months. The first 8 weeks were OK after a couple of days getting used to them. Last Monday I started a new brand and have started to experience side effects such as lethargy, tiredness and an occasional feeling of 'unsteadiness'. Could this be because of the change in brands? My original brand was Mylan - no real problems. The new brand is Sandoz.
?I re-ordered my prescription last Friday and went back to the chemist which sold the Mylan. However, when I opened my prescription they had given me Sandoz as well!
?- Does anyone else find that branding makes a difference?
- Is it possible to specify to your chemist which brand you would prefer in order that they could order it for you?
?May thanks.
milco
0 likes, 24 replies
milco
Posted
Hi Vimes,
I'm doing surprisingly well at the moment. I've had one or two issues with fatigue, low mood and feeling a bit 'distant' during the week, but there are other possible explanations for this (relating to low-grade stress and anxiety)....and I seem to have bounced back OK.
At the moment I am just monitoring the side-effects and trying not to rush to conclusions as to whether it is the Sandoz bisoprolol which is causing them. I figure if I can have a couple of decent, 'normal' days on the Sandoz then it bodes well for me being able to tolerate them in the longer-term.
...so I am doing better than I expected, although I'm not getting carried away (I've just taken my sixth dose). If I can tolerate Sandoz bisoprolol going forward then it makes my life so much easier in terms reducing the faff and hassle of sourcing particular brands!
Will report back...
milco
milco
Posted
Actually, I've noticed today that about 2 hours after taking the bisoprolol I feel sort of tired, a bit muddly and slightly 'removed'.
As a general point, (I also take Losartan for high blood pressure) I find BP medication, if taken first thing, robs you of that feeling of waking up, 'coming to' and hitting your stride in the first hour or two of the day. Instead, I feel the slow creep of listlessness and lethargy after breakfast. At some point the fog lifts a bit during the day. Some days are better than others. You sort of get used to it...
Vimes milco
Edited
Sometimes it can be most difficult to associate cause to an effect. There are so many other variables at play.
I do remember being insistent on the Teva brand initially due to the calendar pack they came in. It was only after time, I get three months supply at a time, did I feel that there was a relationship between some of my symptoms / side effects with particular brands.
As I have noted I do not seem to do too well on long term medication, in terms of side effects.
It used to be quite easy to source the Teva brand of bisoprolol but recently that has been a problem.
Digestive issues, lethargy and tiredness are my issue. The cold hands are noted but not really bothering me, I get used to those.
It is not always easy to convince your doctor if these thoughts on the different brands, then again I have been on long term medication in the past and told that I could stop without any issues at all. The withdrawal effects of me doing so were horrendous.
Best wishes.
milco
Edited
Postscript....
Due to the restrictions imposed as a result of Covid I eventually ran out of options in terms of sourcing particular brands. I can only use one particular chemist and have had my three-month prescriptions replaced with one-month. For this reason I had no choice but to take the dreaded Sandoz brand of bisopolol. It was the only brand this particular chemist would give me...
The good news is that I am about to finish taking my third pack and I am OK with it! I think having literally no choice but to grit my teeth and get on with it changed both my attitude and my experience of taking it. I had a few minor wobbles in the first few days, but after a couple of weeks or so I felt fine -- and once you feel OK with something there is no going back...no blaming it for this or for that side-effect. It is actually quite liberating. I can take it! It is actually a considerable monkey off my back!
Tomorrow I start taking Accord brand Losartan. I have had problems with that brand of Losartan before. Again, I have no choice. Fingers crossed, eh?
melanie21668 milco
Posted
Hi,
I take 1.25mg if Sandoz for heart palpitations and they worked, no side affects at all. My chemist just changed brand to Teva and I cant seem to stay awake, breathless, plus the arrhythmias have returned 10 fold. A 'simple' brand change has tuned my life upside down. I dont understand how they can do this and not warn of side affects, in fact the chemist said there is no real ingredients change between the 2 so its unlikely to be the TEVA. Reading this thread has really helped. Thank you.
kelly54610 milco
Posted
so glad ive seen this as thought i was going crazy, i take 2.5mg every morning im fine with no symptoms on the mylan but have been given the sandoz brand and my symptons are terrible and my palpatations are back! strange. I explained this to my cardiologist and he said he has heard this several times.
azzzaoo6 milco
Posted
Yes this is a big problem for me i'm on sertraline and i have to have a certain brand as other generics don't work for me. its to do with the quality of the ingredients. it's like would you eat tesco value corn flakes as opposed to kellog's its all the same stuff but not the same as in taste&texture that's my analogy of it anyway..
patricia32803 milco
Edited
I have just found this discussion during my long period of research after becoming very unwell a few months ago. I began to suspect that my Bisoprolol could be responsible as I too had a change of product supplier after several years of taking the medication without undue problems. I have since found out that the difference between different brands are the excipients which can be found listed under 6.1 on the insert leaflet. I believe I have identified one excipient which I may be allergic to, and even if not, I can see how it can easily cause problems for a lot of people. I am still trying to get to the bottom of my particular issues but will continue to follow this thread and wish you all well in managing this problem. In the meantime I took myself off the product , very slowly and carefully because I am well aware of the danger, but I am pleased to say I now seem to be recovering from all my other ( related ) issues and now at least I am back under the care of my rheumatologist who is actually listening to me. Cardiology discharged me from hospital a few days after going to A&E with a loop implant recorder and increased medication but no follow up appointment! My Rheumatologist is now in touch with cardiology so hopefully they might actually start listening .